This is not a book for people who want an action packed, plot driven story. Think of this as sipping brandy, savoring and reflecting on the components of what you are tasting. A lot of food for thought, especially for someone interested in pondering moral issues.When I was a younger reader, I read a lot of holocaust literature, starting with the Diary of Anne Frank -- so much so that I finally determined that I would consciously avoid books about it, because I wanted to think about other issues and life experiences. So when I pick up a book like this, it has to do more than tell a tragic tale. Elie Wiesel gives readers challenging looks into life's questions.As a Christian, I read this book with interest in all references to God, and viewpoints about His activity in light of the evil of the holocaust. The grace of God, so prominent in Christian literature, plays almost no role in this discussion, whereas revenge and philosophies of retributive justice play a large role -- unusual and challenging thinking for a Christian reader. I'm not saying I agree with those viewpoints, but Wiesel is posing things as questions to think about, and he often portrays it in an argument, so that there is an opposing viewpoint given.I understand that there is a need for justice, and that God's grace does not obviate the issue of opposing and punishing evil. Still, I think that Wiesel displays the limits of justice as a basis for life. Even the most moral person in this book has a feeling of being justified in his disdain and hatred of people who are evil. It struck me how similar in attitude the "good guys" and the "bad guys" are.The framework of the book is that the title of the book is about one of two plots -- one involving the trial of Sonderberg (a young German), and the other involving the life of the reporter (Jewish)who covered the trial. The two stories eventually come together. When I first read Night by Elie Wiesel, I never knew how much it would affect me. I felt truly changed after reading it. That being said, I didn't expect a life-changing experience from The Sonderberg Case, but I at least expected a good book. The Sonderberg Case met, if not exceeded, my expectations. I was hooked and interested until the very last page. It is a novel about how a murder trial and its surrounding events changed the life of a theater critic named Yedidyah. One thing I liked about this book is simply how the story was told. Wiesel decided to weave a story in a way that went beyond simple chronological progression. In our lives, things may happen in a linear way, but they do not always appear so. After we have experienced something, we often do not just think of it as one even after another. Some times we can't think of it that simply. I appreciated the truth and honesty in how the book wasn't just written in the traditional form of storytelling. I think that it gave me a more full and complex picture of the story by including what had happened, what was happening, and what would happen in the same page. Another thing I liked is that it was thought provoking. It made me ponder a lot about mortality and judgement that I had not truly considered. What is 'guilt', really, and what makes a man 'guilty'? It asked a lot of questions and didn't spoon feed the answers. It left many unanswered as if to tell us that we must find our own answers. I love books that make me think, and this was certainly one of them.
What do You think about Le Cas Sonderberg (2008)?
Hard to follow at first....ends abruptly, but somewhere in the middle you become entranced...
—Hadar
